Exercise is necessary. Medical studies have related important health problems to the lack of it, and it clearly affects our moods, our sense of self-image, and the public image by which others perceive us. However, increasingly people are not getting the amounts or the types of exercise which they need. Many reasons exist for this, but some particular ones are boredom, self consciousness, the difficulty or inability to go somewhere to exercise, and even complex social pressures.
Exercise is considered boring, and repetitive exercise is considered particularly so. A major reason for this is that exercise today frequently is not practical in natural or varied settings. For example, to run in many urban settings there may be little choice but to use an inside track or even a treadmill at a health club or gym, and to use that same facility day after day.
When people do want to exercise, finding a suitable place to do so can be difficult. A health club, gym, or park may not be near by, or may be too crowded with others also seeking exercise or even unrelated use of the facility. And for some, exercise is particularly difficult due to physical handicaps which limit their ability to travel anywhere. This is particularly unfortunate, because it is handicapped people who often have greater needs for exercise than most, due to impaired mobility or due to the need for physical rehabilitation.
Somewhat related to the where-to-exercise issue is time efficiency of exercise. Travel to public indoor exercise facilities takes time, and upon arrival there may then be a wait to use the exercise resources of preference. As our society increasingly turns to working at home (particularly as new telecommuting capabilities so permit), the time inefficiency of traveling to exercise becomes even more apparent.
Exercising in traditionally public settings such as health clubs and gyms can also be awkward feeling or even embarrassing to many. Some people are simply shy, and do not want to exercise where they are constantly reminded that they are surrounded by others. Others are self conscious about their own physical condition, particularly in a "comparative" setting like a health club, and they are therefore uncomfortable exercising in public (unfortunately such people may need exercise the most, for instance because they are overweight).
Even factors in our diverse society tend to suppress exercise in some ways. For example, the genders and ages tend to separate quite distinctly in regard to what equipment they use at health clubs, what gyms they patronize, and even what sections of parks they use. Further, regrettably, this is not always the exercising individual's own choice.
In sum, there are many complicated reasons why we do not exercise. Some of these may never be entirely overcome. However, furthering exercise to the extent possible is a worthy goal, and governments have long recognized the physical condition of the populace as a national priority. For an example, the existence and the importance of the National Counsel on Fitness in the United States.
Today, many see perception of the exercise environment as a key to increasing the participation in, the enjoyment of, and ultimately the success of exercise. Thus, efforts are being made to change the exercise environment, with some of the rationale being; if one cannot exercise in a natural manner, then use an exercise machine to work the same muscles in the same manner; if one cannot go to a natural setting, then create the illusion of one; if one cannot go to where exercise equipment is (e.g., a health club or gym), then bring exercise equipment to the user; if one does not want their gender or age to be a factor in the social dynamics of group exercise, then hide such by distracting the other users of such, or even camouflaging oneself in some manner.
The current situation, and the focus on the exercise environment, have created large and growing specialty segments in the exercise equipment market. Home exercise equipment is one such segment. But regrettably, it is one which is not very successful at delivering what its consumers want, because those who do exercise at home typically do not find that they enjoy or can stick with exercise there for very long. One reason for this is that the home setting is often even more boring than other settings, and another is that the home is often full of distractions.
"Virtual Reality" exercise equipment is another such market segment (one which has potential overlap with the home market, but which has largely failed to do so to date). Several major manufacturers of exercise equipment (e.g., Tectrix, Nautilus, Life Fitness, Transcape, Kettler, Precor, and Reebok) have developed such exercise machines. These machines overwhelmingly rely on animated computer graphics which use a high degree of user interactivity. However, since it is generally perceived that development costs of animated computer environments are prohibitive, consumer price resistance is generally anticipated by manufacturers, and accordingly their product offerings are fewer. For such machines that are developed and marketed, the price then often limits sales to organizations such as health clubs, rehabilitation centers, and special government installations, and when such equipment is available, even at these locations, it often cannot be used by all who might wish to do so.
The present invention acknowledges that exercise environment is the key. However, the term "virtual reality" is not entirely appropriate, and the approach disclosed herein may more appropriately be termed "natural environment simulation."